This Editor has a MidwayUSA injection-molded gun cradle, now sold as the Tipton Gun Vise. This product has worked well for everything from an 18″-barreled lever gun to a 32″-barreled F-Class rifle. The unit has proven invaluable for many tasks: cleaning barrels, stock refinishing/bedding, scope mounting, trigger adjusting, bore-scoping barrels, and checking throat length with a Hornady OAL tool. To be honest, I can’t understand how any serious shooter can get along without a product such as this (MTM makes a similar plastic cleaning cradle). That said, The unit isn’t perfect. This gun vise will NOT fit rifles with forearms wider than 3 inches. And if your butt-stock is very shallow (vertically) from comb down to toe, it may not fit the clamping system very well. But, for 95% of the rifles out there, the Tipton Gun Vise works great.

Bargain Pricing on Amazon.com

The Tipton Gun Vise is on sale on Amazon.com for $39.89.
That’s a very good deal for a product you’ll use for years.

MidwayUSA has completely revamped its shipping system, putting in a new billing structure that should result in significant savings for customers, particularly for small orders. The new “Nitro Express” shipping program at MidwayUSA will offer $3.99 shipping for orders under one pound (non-DOT regulated products). Packages 1 to 10 pounds can ship for $5.99 (USPS) plus $0.60 per pound. DOT-regulated products cost more to ship, but the rates are still reasonable. Here are the new Nitro Express Shipping Rates from the MidwayUSA website:

Nitro Express Shipping Basics
MidwayUSA founder Larry Potterfield explains: “I’m very pleased to announce… our new Nitro Express Shipping® system. We discovered that if MidwayUSA re-engineered our system for shipping packages… we could save our customers a lot of money on shipping costs.

We’ve spent several years and millions of dollars to develop one of the best, most efficient shipping systems in the country; and we’ve negotiated very hard with our freight partners — all to save our customers money on shipping costs.

Right off the bat you’ll notice that most shipping costs went down substantially — and it’s really easy to understand. There are no order minimums or small order fees and shipping costs are calculated ‘real-time’ as you add products to your shopping cart. The complete details are available by clicking on Shipping Charges & Options on our website.

Now through June 2, 2014, the Tipton Gun Vise is ON SALE for just $38.59. That’s a 21% savings over the normal $48.99 price at MidwayUSA. That’s a very good deal for a product you’ll use for years. If you already own a gun vise, this product could also make a nice Father’s Day gift.

Sale Pricing Through June 2, 2014 — Click Photo to See Full-Size Version

Owner/User ReportThis Editor owns one of these injection-molded gun cradles. It has handled everything from an 18″-barreled lever gun to a 32″-barreled F-Class rifle. The unit works well for many tasks: cleaning barrels, stock refinishing/bedding, scope mounting, trigger adjusting, bore-scoping barrels, and checking throat length with a Hornady OAL tool. To be honest, I can’t understand how any serious shooter can get along without a product such as this (MTM makes a similar plastic cleaning cradle). That said, the unit isn’t perfect. We did find a couple very nose-heavy 1000-yard benchrest rifles that were not stable on the Tipton. This gun vise will NOT fit rifles with forearms wider than 3 inches. And if your butt-stock is very shallow (vertically) from comb down to toe, it may not fit the clamping system very well.

There are a number of smart features on the Tipton Gun Vise. First it’s made of solvent-resistant plastic. I’ve spilled just about every “miracle bore cleaner” you can name and nothing has harmed the plastic so far. Second, the front support has a dual-profile rubber pad with a flat section for benchrest rifles plus a “V” in the middle for narrow-forearm rifles. Third, the base section has handy cut-outs that hold solvent bottles or patches. Some people complain that the 8-lb Tipton Gun Vise is too light. While I understand that concern, the Vise is stable in use and I like the fact that I can easily pick up the whole unit with one hand and move it around the loading room. You can always add weight.

Twenty-two years ago Larry and Brenda Potterfield launched the NRA Round-Up, a special program designed to raise funds for the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA). To date, MidwayUSA Customers have contributed nearly $10 million dollars to the NRA-ILA National Endowment for the Protection of the 2nd Amendment.

“On January 2, 1992 we started asking our Customers at MidwayUSA if they would ‘Round-Up’ their order to the next higher dollar and let us donate that money to the NRA-ILA. Our Customers overwhelmingly said yes and to date they have donated nearly $10 Million,” said Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. “The actual donations have never been spent, but each year, NRA-ILA spends five percent of the interest to fight anti-gun legislation.”

At the 143rd NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Indianapolis last weekend, Larry and Brenda Potterfield presented a ceremonial check to NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris Cox for $9,892,195.82, the total amount of money that has been donated by MidwayUSA Customers since 1992.

Got the “can’t find primer blues”? Well cheer up. Supplies of pistol and rifle primers are starting to arrive at vendors around the country. We checked with six leading shooting supplies vendors, and all had some primers in stock. Many of the harder-to-find varieties, such as CCI BR4s (small rifle benchrest) and CCI 450s (small rifle magnum) are now available again. In the chart below are the primer inventories we found today, November 12, at 11:00 am west coast time.

Note, inventories are subject to change. In some cases, the primers were “low stock” items, which means they won’t last long. Word to the Wise: If more than one vendor has the primers you need, we suggest you comparison shop. We’ve seen prices vary by as much as $15.00 per thousand for the same item — so you definitely need to compare pricing before you place an order. Happy primer hunting boys and girls!

PRIMER Inventories Shown by Web Vendors on November 12, 2013:
(NOTE: Inventory subject to change. Availability of all these items can change by the hour.)

The MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc. and Scholastic Shooting Trust, a public charity established by Larry and Brenda Potterfield, received a $3,000,000 donation from the Potterfields to support junior shooting programs. These funds will be allocated to 204 separate endowments. Funds will support 192 shooting teams each receiving $10,000, seven state 4-H shooting programs, as well as five, new college curriculum shooting programs (receiving $100,000 each).

The Scholastic Shooting Trust (SST) Fund is owned and controlled by the MidwayUSA Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit, public charity established by Larry and Brenda Potterfield in 2007. The SST Fund is an endowment intended to provide financial support for scholastic shooting programs. The SST Fund gives alumni and other interested parties of universities, colleges and high schools the ability to financially support a school’s competitive shooting program. The Foundation works with shooting teams, conservation groups and the shooting industry to raise funds in support of high school and collegiate shooting programs. To learn more about The MidwayUSA Foundation and Scholastic Shooting Trust, visit ScholasticShootingTrust.org or call 1-877-375-4570.

The MidwayUSAPro Series Competition Shooting Mat is now on sale for just $49.99, through the end of March, 2013. That’s 51% off the regular $102.99 price. This mat is bigger and better than MidwayUSA’s original shooting mat, with many enhancements. The Pro Series mat measures a full 73.5″ x 35.5″ and the padding is thicker. There is a zippered pocket on the front extension flap to hold ammo or log book. The rubberized contact areas are tan now (rather than black) so they don’t get so hot in the sun. And the designers added webbing “pockets” for bipod feet so you can pre-load the ‘pod with forward pressure. MidwayUSA has done a good job improving a mat that was already a good deal for the money. At $49.99 on sale (through 3/31/2013), this Pro Series mat is a great deal.

MidwayUSA Buyer Reviews:

Five Stars: Great upgrades to the original. It’s bigger in every direction, and the padding is twice as thick. The new knee and elbow pads won’t get as hot as the black material on the old one did, and the new material is “grippier” than the old stuff too. The bi-pod stop is a nice touch if you shoot F-T/R. — Bob M., Missouri, 10/6/2010.

Five Stars: As a competitive shooter my mat is important. The mat I replaced had been with me for about twenty years. It had been with me through the famous weather at Camp Perry, the winds and sand of Grayling 1000 yard matches. My Midway mat arrived shiny and new, full of stuffing, stiff and green. At my next match I found I liked the feel of the mat, it has handles! The rocks and sand on the firing line were not as sharp. The rubber is well-placed. It has proven to be rugged and quite up to the task. I am seeing more Midway mats at matches. A good thing. — Tom, Michigan, 12/26/2012.

Four Stars: I purchased this mat for a 2-day Appleseed event this fall. Good overall quality and more than wide and long enough for my frame. The only drawback and reason for me giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is that the padding is insufficient when placed on top of a rocky surface. I wasn’t looking for a sleeping mat mind you, but you feel every single rock underneath the mat when shooting prone (especially on the elbows), kneeling and when transitioning between positions. Best to use another pad underneath if you are using it on a rocky surface. Most of the other mats out there have the same drawbacks so this is still a great choice at a very decent price. — Chris S., Illinois, 1/6/2013.

Five Stars: This is a great mat for the money. It’s larger, thicker, and stickier than my old one. I could use larger knee area friction pads, but that’s the only complaint. The elbow area is huge and that’s what’s best. Much cooler in the sun, too. Rolls up and rolls out easy. The double-adjustable carry strap has built in loops I use for carrying a rolled up foul weather cover. The fold-out front fly is large and useful. This is a good looking, hard working mat. — Steve R., Illinois, 10/11/2010

The new 829-page Berger Reloading Manual is now on sale at MidwayUSA.com for $24.99. This is a very good deal. This impressive new resource sells elsewhere for $29.00. At this price, you may want to pick up a couple and give one as a gift.

The MidwayUSA Competition Shooting Mat is on sale for just $29.99, forty bucks off the regular $69.99 price. The $29.99 sale price is good now through December 31, 2012. Sized 67″ Long x 27″ Wide, this mat rolls up into a 6.5-inch diameter “sausage” for transport or storage. While we prefer a wider mat (with more room for ammo boxes and shooting accessories), this mat has many nice features. Grommets on the corners allow the mat to be staked down in high winds. The mat has rubberized elbow and knee pads, and it comes with both a carry handle and a convenient shoulder strap.

This would be a useful, inexpensive holiday gift for a junior shooter, or anyone who needs a basic mat for High Power, tactical, or F-Class competition.

The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has created a new BSA National Foundation to promote firearms safety training and marksmanship instruction for Boy Scouts. An initial $500,000 donation by Larry and Brenda Potterfield will serve to kick-start the BSA Foundation’s operations. As long-time supporters of their local BSA council, the Potterfields wanted to help more Scouts across America gain experience, confidence and expertise when it came to firearm safety and the shooting sports.

“The BSA is the country’s greatest developer of leadership in youth and Brenda and I are strong supporters of programs whose objective is to help develop the leaders of tomorrow,” said MidwayUSA founder and CEO Larry Potterfield. “Shooting sports is one of the most popular activities in Scouting and this gift is designed to help more youth have that experience.”

With its initial $500,000 in funding, the BSA National Foundation hopes to award approximately 20 grants beginning in 2013. Grant funds may be used for, but are not limited to, the purchase of ammunition, firearms, targets, firearm cleaning supplies, eye and ear protection, awards, shooting facility fees and travel expenses for Scouts to attend approved shooting competitions. For more info visit www.BSAFoundation.org or call the BSA Foundation at (972) 580-2219.

Now through September 2, 2012, you can save big bucks on “factory blemished” Leupold VX-3, VX-L, VX-7, and Rifleman series scopes at MidwayUSA. Prices are slashed by as much as $260.00, and MidwayUSA is offering free shipping as well. These scopes may have minor cosmetic blemishes (small scratches, dents or ring marks) which do not impair function or reliability. All these “blem” scopes still carry Leupold’s full lifetime transferrable warranty.

The scopes on sale are mostly mid-power hunting scopes (2.5-10X, 3-9X, 3.5-10X, 4-12X etc.) with 1/4-MOA clicks. Savings can be substantial. For example, the 3.5-10x50mm VX-3L Rifle Scope was marked down to $519.99 from the regular $699.00 price — a $180.00 savings. If you want to take advantage of this special “factory blemished” Leupold scope sale, act soon — these are selling out quickly. The sale expires September 2, 2012.

MidwayUSA is offering blemished bullets at very significant discounts — up to 51% off normal pricing. These are quality bullets from major manufacturers. However, they may have a variety of superficial external flaws, such as waterspots, discoloration, or tarnished jackets. If you need bullets for plinking, varminting, or game hunting, you can save big bucks with these “blems”. For example, .224-caliber 55gr Soft-Point bullets (stock #324450) are now just $9.79 per hundred! And you can save on large-caliber bullets as well. One of our researchers just ordered some .338 blems for fire-forming purposes.

MidwayUSA’s Master Catalog has been the “magnum opus” of gun gear catalogs. Over 1,000 pages long, the Master Catalog includes more than 100,000 products. This year, the 35th Annual MidwayUSA Master Catalog is available is a convenient PDF Digital Edition. There are over 1,040 pages in this new digital edition, complete with color photographs, firearm schematics, reference charts, detailed product information, and an extensive index to help you find exactly what you need. You can even download these files to your tablet, laptop, or smartphone.

Download the 200mb digital edition by visiting MidwayUSA’s Catalog Center. Scroll down the page until you see Click to Download the Entire Catalog in the lower left. We’ve tried out the 35th Annual Master Catalog loaded on an iPad and it’s very handy. It’s nice to have it on the iPad drive, so you can access the complete inventory of gear and reloading components even without an active web connection.

Here’s one last chance to save money before 2012 arrives. MidwayUSA has just announced a Year-End Promo that runs through 11:59 p.m. CT on December 31, 2011. With the Promo Codes you can save $10 on a $100.00 order (Code SAVE10), $25 on a $250.00 order (Code SAVE25), and $50 on a $500.00 order (Code SAVE50).To get your discount, enter the appropriate Code during check-out.

NOTE: This offer is limited to online sales only, and it covers in-stock, regular-price merchandise only. Sale, clearance, out-of-stock, Nightforce and FNH products (and Gift Certificates) do NOT count towards the total. Each code can only be used once. One code per order.

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Did you miss out on the great deals during the Black Friday/Cyber-Monday weekend? Well MidwayUSA has announced a Second Chance Sale that runs through 11:59 PM CST on Monday, December 12th. Remember the listest prices end at Midnight tonight! Here are some of the best deals available now:

Through the end of December, MidwayUSA is running an exclusive promotion for AccurateShooter.com readers. This is a sweet deal: you get $10.00 off any order of $50.00 or more. This applies to regular-priced, in-stock inventory only (no discount on sale items, clearance items or back-order items). To get this exclusive discount for our readers, simply use Promo Code 5161171 during “check-out” when shopping online.

This discount applies to web orders only (no discounts on phone or fax orders). In addition, Nightforce and FNH products, and gift certificates, do not count towards the total. For more information, view MidwayUSA’s Special Discount Page. The discount can only be used once per customer and it expires at 11:59 pm CT on December 31, 2011.

It’s great to be able to access load data on the internet. But we still recommend keeping some hard-bound reloading manuals at home for reference. Right now MidwayUSA has a great deal on the Modern Reloading, Second Edition, Revised by Richard Lee. Now through the end of the year, you can buy the latest LEE reloading manual for just $12.49. This book was recently revised, so it has more reloading data than the previous release of the 2nd Edition. The load data section now has black tabs on the side of the pages.

Should you buy the book? It’s cheap at $12.49. The load data covers a huge variety of cartridges. But some guys complain that the first section of the book reads like a LEE catalog. Here are book-buyers’ comments:

“At twice the size of my old Speer book, the Lee manual covers everything you need from a reloading reference book. The best part is that it is not produced by a powder or bullet maker so the reloading data focuses on the best performing products.” — G. Basley

“The reloading data is AMAZING for exotic loads, but pretty basic for popular loads. Also, Lee goes back and forth between Grains and CCs, which can be distracting at best. [Editor: Why CCs? Answer — Lee sells CC-graduated powder scoops]. The loading data is really the most useful aspect of the book because the charts are straight-forward and the diagrams are easy to read.” — D. Hukill

“On the one hand, this reloading manual is a great deal for the money. It’s cheapest out of all the reloading manuals, and yet it doesn’t skimp on any of the load data. On the other hand, the writing style in this manual is not professional… [it needs] a competent editor. Many parts of this reloading manual read like pure advertising copy for Lee products.” — C. Weys

As a last-minute “surprise”, MidwayUSA has added a selection of Leupold VX-I and VX-II riflescopes to its list of Black Friday Bargain items. You can now save from $50.00 to $100.00 off the normal price of these popular, lifetime-guaranteed hunting scopes. Here are some of the Leupold scopes on sale today through 11/28/2011:

Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA, Inc. recently donated $900,000 to the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) to support youth shooting programs. This latest donation augments the $1,600,000 the Potterfields donated in November 2010, making a total of $2.5 Million given to the SSSF in the past two years. Last year, the Potterfields also donated $1 million to the National Wild Turkey Foundation (NWTF) to support youth shooting programs.

The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is an educational-athletic organization that exists to introduce school-age youths to the clay target sports and to facilitate their continued involvement by providing opportunities to safely and enjoyably participate and compete in a high-quality, team-based sport led by trained adult coaches.

Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA, remarked, “Teaching our youth about shooting and shooting safety will ensure a better future for America. Brenda and I are proud to partner with SSSF and their efforts to change the future by engaging youths through scholastic shooting programs.”

Monday’s Deal Pick: Among the many specials released yesterday was the MidwayUSA 6-Pocket Tactical Rifle Gun Case. Available in 42″ or 46″ sizes, either Black or Olive Drab, this case is now just $18.99, marked down from $34.99.

Tuesday Deal Pick: Our selection from the deals released for Tuesday, Nov. 22 is the Pro Series Competition Shooting Mat Olive Drab, MidwayUSA #158660, for just $29.99. This is an awesome price on a good-quality mat. We’ve used this mat and can recommend it. It’s a steal at $29.99 — That price is good for November 22 only!

Thursday Deal Pick: We bet most of you guys have at least one .45 ACP in your gun collection. Well on Thursday, November 24th, you can grab 1000 Ranier 200gr RN copper-plated .45 cal bullets for just $99.00. The lead core in these bullets is completely coated by copper, top and bottom, so you can use these in lead-restricted ranges. To complement your new bullets, why not pick up a 14″ tactical pistol case for just $7.49. These zipper-top pistol bags are nicely-padded and have seven external mag pouches. Colors are black or olive drab. This price starts at 12:01 am on Thursday, November 24th.

$15 Off Orders of $100.00 or More — Through November 28th
In addition to the specially-discounted Black Friday items, you can save $15 off an order of $100 or more on normally-priced items. Use Promo Code 11281177 at Check-Out.

IMPORTANT: This $15 Off promo code is limited to regular price, in-stock products only. The discount can only be used once and cannot be combined with other promotions. The offer expires at 11:59 p.m. CT on November 28, 2011.